Avon, OH— The Empire State Greys offense and dominant bullpen led the team to a come from behind 11-8 victory.

After scoring at least 7 runs in every game of their first series, Empire State’s offense has continued its hot start with an 11 spot today. Trailing 6-3 in the 6th, the Greys’ offense showed its prowess. Eric Callahan got the team going with an RBI single and was shortly followed by Quinton Holmes driving in a run with a hit-by-pitch. Cristopher Cespedes immediately followed Holmes delivering the biggest hit of the game. Cespedes cleared the bases with a hard hit double and gave the Greys a 8-6 lead which they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Greys bullpen had a dominant showing once again. Miguel Rondon entered the game to start the 5th and threw two shutout innings and struck out three. Rondon’s outing was rewarded by earning his first win of the season. Nick Trabacchi dominated out of the pen as well. Throwing the 7th and 8th, Trabacchi did not allow a hit and struck out two. Tanner Propst was given the ninth and was able to work out of trouble to secure the win for the Greys.

Empire State will look to take the series tomorrow at 11:05 am against the Lake Erie Crushers.

Article by Jacob Weber

Ottawa, On—The Empire State Greys have won their first game of the season due to the offensive prowess of Josh Sears and a dominant performance by the pitching staff.

Offensively, the top of the lineup for the Greys was explosive once again. Josh Sears got the offense going in the first by sending a fastball over the fence for a 3-run home run. In the fifth Sears delivered again. Hitting a ball deep down the right field line, Sears delivered a 2 RBI double and was immediately driven in by a Matt Turner single to center field. After a pair of 3 run innings the Greys held a 6-1 lead which they wouldn’t relinquish.

Empire State received a dominating performance from its pitching staff. Michael Barker set the tone for the Greys going 4 ⅓ allowing just one run on 2 hits and striking out 5. Wilber Perez entered in relief in the fifth, and earned the win, for the Greys. He went 1 ⅔ innings giving up just one hit and a walk striking out two. Carson Ferry and Nick Trabscchi dominated the seventh and eighth putting the team in good position to secure the win

After scoring an insurance run in the top of the ninth, Tanner Propst shut the door. The southpaw side-armer set down the Titans 1-2-3, striking out two, to end the game. Empire State won the game with a final score of 7-1 and secured their first win of the season.

The Greys will take on the Titans in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon at 1pm EST.

Ottawa, On –The Empire State Greys have kicked off 2023 against the Ottawa Titans and received an outstanding performance from Center Fielder Eric Jenkins and Cristopher Cespedes.

Empire State’s offense looked promising in the early innings. Eric Jenkins led off the game with a walk and was followed immediately by Quentin Holmes lacing a hard-hit single to right field for the club’s first hit of the season. The Greys had another chance with two runners on in the second after Steve Barmakian and JR DiSarcina were hit by pitches in back-to-back at-bats. With two outs, Mike Gulino capitalized on this by hitting the ball over the shortstop’s outstretched glove to drive in the team’s first run of the season. Eric Jenkins immediately followed by smoking a line drive to deep right field for a go-ahead 2 RBI double.

The Grey’s offense also showed what it’s capable of in the later innings. Eric Jenkins showed off his power in the seventh by hitting a deep home run to straightaway center field. In the ninth, first baseman Cristopher Cespedes smashed a 3-run shot to left field.

Jenkins ended the day going 3/4 with a HR, 2B, BB, and 3 RBI. He will look to continue to his hot start to the season in game two, tomorrow night at 6 pm EST versus Ottawa.

Article by Jacob Weber

​Ryan Sandberg will be taking the bump on May 12^th as the Greys take on the Ottawa Titans to begin the season.

Sandberg comes to the Greys after a successful 2022 season. Sandberg finished his collegiate career at Wilmington University where in his senior season pitched in and started 13 games and pitched to a 3.35 ERA, 1.154 WHIP, and struck out 110 batters.

Following his graduation, Sandberg pitched in the MLB Draft League for the Trenton Thunder and the Atlantic College Baseball League for the East Coast Sandhogs.

The Greys will look for Ryan to continue to build off his success from the previous season and be a big part of the club’s pitching core in 2023.

Article by Jacob Weber

​After a successful Spring Training, the Greys have made their final roster decisions. The team has brought in Catcher Zak Whalin and Right-Hand Pitcher Jose Suero to fill the 24-manroster. 

Zak Whalin was a two-year standout in college at Central Missouri. There he slashed .358/.429/.495 with six home runs and 63 RBI’s. After a successful college career, Whalin started his professional career playing in the Mets system. Most recently he played for the New Jersey Jackals in 2022 where he caught 35 games and hit .240.

In 2022 Jose Suero was a dominant relief pitcher his senior season at Wayland Baptist. In 22 appearances, Suero pitched to a 1.85 ERA and struck out 38 batters over the course of 24.1 innings. After graduating, Jose pitched for the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League. Most recently he pitched for the Frederick Baseball Club in the Atlantic League where he showcased an electric fastball that tops out at 96 mph. 

The Greys will play Opening Day Friday May 12^th, as they take on the Ottawa Titans at 6.30 pm EST.

TROY, NY – The Empire State Greys took on the Tri-City ValleyCats in their final spring training matchup. The two clubs faced each other Friday in a fourteen-inning exhibition and have agreed to play twelve and a half today. Throughout the extended game, many positive signs for the club were shown on all sides of the ball. Many arms out of the bullpen impressed, the defense made an accumulation of highlight reel plays, and the team’s gap to gap power was on display.

Michael Barker took the mound as the starting pitcher for the exhibition. He displayed the ability to bounce back and pitched the second and third without allowing a run. This was in part to a run saving sliding catch made by center fielder Eric Jenkins to end the third and bring Barker’s Day to an end. Another run saving diving catch was made in the fourth inning by right fielder Eric Jenkins to help out relief pitcher Jhoendri Herrera. Herrera had a solid inning of work and was able to work out of a jam. The fifth was designated to LHP Carson Ferry, who impressed by facing just four batters and striking out two of them. Ferry also got help from his defense as DiSarcina made a diving stop at third base and threw out the runner with a strong throw from the ground to end the inning. Zach Gettys was given the 6^th inning out of the pen. Gettys demonstrated a great move to first base and was able to pick a runner off. Wilbur Perez had a solid ninth inning striking out two with great off-speed pitches. In the additional three innings played, all three arms for the Greys were lights out. LHP Tanner Propst impressed in the 10^th with his side arm release and disappearing slider, Miguel Rondon mixed his fastball and slider well in the 11^th, and Nick Trabacchi blew hitters away with his overpowering fastball in the 12^th. 

Five different Greys impressed at the plate throughout the game. Following his home run on Friday, Josh Sears showed off his power once again. Leading off the second inning, Sears took a high fastball the other way and deposited it into the Greys bullpen, a 2 run shot. Three and a half hours and ten innings later, Josh did it again but this time cleared the bullpen out in right field. John Mead also had a great day at the plate. Mead doubled to right field in both the fourth and seventh innings. Steve Barmakian and JR DiSarcina provided offense in the eighth. Barmakian hit a double to right center field and was immediately followed by DiSarcina’s home run to the deepest part of the yard. Outfielder Matt Turner provided two singles, including a bases loaded two RBI knock in the top of the 12^th. 

​The Greys will start regular season action Friday May 12^thagainst the Ottawa Titans.

Article by Greys Media

TUPPER LAKE, NY – Weather doesn’t slow down the Empire State Greys spring training as the team has started in the Adirondacks under 30 degrees.

Practices have consisted of light conditioning and flat ground bullpens for the pitchers, tee work and throwing program for hitters. The weather was a factor in how much work could be done but manager Mark Mason felt good about the players getting out on the field and getting some work.

“I’m really excited to be here and get started, I’ve been waiting for a long time and I’m just ready to see our guys get on the field and play.” – Manager Mark Mason

The Greys will continue training Thursday and are set to play the Tri-City ValleyCats on their first exhibition spring training game Friday at 11:30am at Joseph L Bruno Stadium in Albany. The team will also play the ValleyCats on Monday the 8th and wrap up camp on the 10th. Final Roster will be announced on May 10th.

The team will get on the road to on May 11th for the first time in the season and head to Ottawa to take on the Ottawa Titans on game 1 of the season.

ABOUT THE EMPIRE STATE GREYS

The Empire State Greys are a professional baseball team that plays in the MLB Partnered Frontier League. The team comes into its second season as a franchise in the Frontier League. Fans and media can stay aware of all the happenings within the Greys organization, both on and off the field, by following the team’s social media platforms @empirestgreys and website: www.empirestategreys.com

For other inquiries, email us at baseball@empireproleague.com

Article by Greys Media

Tupper Lake, NY – The Empire State Greys have signed two former 2^nd Round Picks for the 2023 season. Both Outfielders, Quentin Holmes and Eric Jenkins, will get on the Bus with the Greys.

Quentin Holmes is a 23 year old right handed Outfielder from Queens, New York. He was drafted in the 2^nd round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft from Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in NY. This will be Holmes first MLB Partnered League season as he is coming off a year in double A with the Cleveland Indians. Holmes had 33 at bats in double A where he batted .242 with a triple and 3 stolen bases. Holmes totaled 50 stolen bases in his time with Cleveland.

Eric Jenkins is a 26 year old left handed hitting Outfielder from Chadbourne, North Carolina. He was drafted in the 2^nd round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft from West Colombus High School in NC. Jenkins spent 6 years in the Cleveland Indians Organization with High A being the highest level reached. He comes to the Greys with a professional batting average of .221 with a big 145 stolen bases and 17 home runs.

“We are excited about these guys. They were chosen in the 2^nd round for a reason. They have a ton of knowledge and will fit right in with our group.” – Jerry Gonzalez

Holmes and Jenkins officially signed to the 2023 roster, joining outfielders Jordan Scott (Yankees), Matt Turner, John Mead, Aidan Willis (ABL) and Jake Ford. The team will have more signings to announce within the coming days as they fly to St. Louis for the final tryout prior to spring training camp. The roster is available on the Empire State Greys website. The league’s transaction page is available here.

ABOUT THE EMPIRE STATE GREYS

The Empire State Greys are a professional baseball team that plays in the MLB Partnered Frontier League. The team comes into its second season as a franchise in the Frontier League. Fans and media can stay aware of all the happenings within the Greys organization, both on and off the field, by following the team’s social media platforms @empirestgreys and website: www.empirestategreys.com

For other inquiries, email us at baseball@empireproleague.com

Article by Greys Media

TAMPA, FL – The Empire State Greys of the MLB partnered Frontier League have added an experienced infielder to the roster today. Josue Herrera out of the Dominican Republic will get on the bus for the 2023 season.

The 25 year old from Santo Domingo signed in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles where he spent 5 years in the system. He was a career .242 hitter in the minor leagues during his time with the Orioles and made it as high as rookie leaver in the Florida Gulf Coast League.

Herrera was signed to the Empire League where he lasted 3 days after hitting 3 homers in 2 games and was immediately moved to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. He posted a .247 batting average with 19 total homers and 92 Runs batted in in the Atlantic League.

He played in 2021 with the Toros del Oeste in the Dominican Winter League.

He is a strong left handed batter who will play corner infielder for the Greys and is excited about the opportunity to be in the MLB Partnered Frontier League.

This is the first signing for the Greys in 2023 as the team has begun its search to complete a competitive travel ball club this year.

Article by Empire Media

GATEWAY – The 2023 Frontier League will host its annual tryout in Gateway at the Home of the Gateway Grizzlies.

As the draft order comes out, The Empire State Greys will have the number 1 overall pick as well as the 17th overall pick.

The team did not pick up options on most of its players which means there are many roster spots available for the upcoming season as the Greys look to improve their rosters with more experienced players behind new manager Mark Mason.

“I’m thrilled to have Mark as our leader of this ball club. This is a big step for us in the right direction and having the number one overall pick is huge for us. We will be making a lot of moves this off season to put together the most competitive ball club we can.” – Jerry Gonzalez

The Greys will start camp on May 1st this year shortly after the Frontier League Tryout. The Frontier League holds its annual Tryout Camp and Draft the last Monday and Tuesday of April each year, leading directly to the start of spring training camps.  All 16 Frontier League teams will participate, along with scouts from multiple Major League teams and representatives from other independent leagues.

Over the past 12 years, an average of 36 players per year are signed by Frontier League teams out of the Tryout Camp and Draft, with many others signed by other independent leagues.  MLB organizations have signed players from each of the past eight Tryout Camps.

For more information on Tryouts, visit the league Tryouts site at frontierleague.com

Article by Greys Media